Pelosi: Health ruling a 'victory for every American'

6/28/12 10:49 AM EDT

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the driving force in Congress behind Democratic passage of the health care law in 2010, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court ruling:

This decision is a victory for the American people. With this ruling, Americans will benefit from critical patient protections, lower costs for the middle class, more coverage for families, and greater accountability for the insurance industry.

The Affordable Care Act is already paying dividends for millions of Americans – with more to come:

• Children can no longer be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
• Seniors are paying less for prescription drugs.
• Students and young adults can stay on their parents’ plans.
• Being a woman is no longer a pre-existing medical condition.

In passing health reform, we made history for our nation and progress for the American people. We completed the unfinished business of our society and strengthened the character of our country. We ensured health care would be a right for all, not a privilege for the few. Today, the Supreme Court affirmed our progress and protected that right, securing a future of health and economic security for the middle class and for every American.

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), another leading player in the health care passage, said the high court decision: "not only upholds the effort but it upholds one of the methods that we spent a lot of time trying to get it into law. ... Big, big victory for Obama."